The Girl in the Shadows
by free2bme23
Summary: For all her life Haley James has lived in the shadows of her mega-famous sister, Taylor James. When Haley catches the eye of Taylor's new love interest, will Haley be able to break free from her sister, and finally find happiness? Summary inside. Naley!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill, or anything associated with the show. **

**AN: Hi Everyone! This is my new story, The Girl in the Shadows! Please leave me some reviews, I really love to hear from everyone!**

**Summary: Haley James has lived in the shadows of her mega-famous sister Taylor for her entire life. When Taylor's new love interest, NBA all-star Nathan Scott shows a unique interest in Haley, what will she do? Will she break free from her sister and do what she wants? Or will she remain in the shadows and let love escape her?**

**This story is AU, and the pairings will be Naley, Brucas, & Jeyton**

**Please review! Enjoy! **

**- Madison**

* * *

The sun shone down on her dark chocolate hair, revealing the strands of red that only appeared in the sunlight. The length reached to the middle of her back and the slight waves swayed to and fro as she walked with her head slightly down, just like she had been told. She made sure she stayed behind her sister as she took in all of the cameras flashing everywhere, turning her scenery into a mass of blinking white lights. She now knew why all of the celebrities wore sunglasses whenever they left their homes. Even though she was not famous, as long as she walked near her "megastar" sister, she would need those trusty sunglasses to block out the flashes that prohibited her from seeing through her deep brown eyes.

Her sister, Taylor James, was a rising star in the TV world. She played the "good girl" Sophie on the hit new show The High Life. Tall, with short and sleek blonde hair, Taylor always looked absolutely perfect. Even with cameras flashing, and the paparazzi trying to block her way, Taylor always remained composed and acted as if they were not even there. Ever since Taylor had turned 23, she had decided to take much more interest in the fashion world and had made the financial decision to add a "personal dresser" to her list of employees. Previously, she had remained obstinate about taking her acting career seriously and not getting caught up in all that was "Hollywood." However, as soon as packs of men began to shower her with attention, that had all been shot to shit.

Haley James, on the other hand, had always been into fashion, yet had never been noticed, for Taylor's presence always seemed to make everyone forget there was a "Haley" that even existed. Not that Haley did anything that would be noticeable by the public aside from dressing well. Maybe the A she earned on her brilliant essay on the meaning of Shakespeare's King Lear could gain some attention, but other than that…

_'Oomph!'_ Haley had stopped paying attention to where she was walking and embarrassingly tripped over a rock on the sidewalk. Taylor was a glamorous millionaire living at the peak of her 'play time' as a young adult, and had she tripped, her surprised face would make the cover of about four different gossip magazines by the end of the week. Haley, the almost 18-year old high school senior, who knows the star more than anyone else in the city, could trip, fall, break a leg, maybe even die, and no one would really notice. Her parents would probably get a little upset if she died. But then again, you never really know.

Haley regained her composure and continued to make her way through the swarm of photographers as she and her sister made their way into the cute little Italian restaurant where they had lunch reservations. Not that Taylor needed reservations. In fact, Haley was almost positive that her sister could, with just a flick of the wrist, get a table anywhere, at anytime. Once inside, the lights stopped flashing, and the two girls were led to their table in the back of the eatery.

As they sat down, Haley took in her surroundings. Not many people were in there currently, yet when they caught wind of Taylor James's presence they would most likely start galloping in like a herd of hungry horses. She did not know why, but for some reason, Haley was transfixed on the idea that she could remain meaningless next to someone who meant everything to some. From anyone else's point of view, Haley looked just as important as Taylor. With her knee high flat black riding boots, her dark pencil leg jeans, and her white blouse with a thin red belt wrapped around her waist, Haley looked stunning, sophisticated, classy, and notable.

But it was Taylor's familiar face, and the overly confident way in which she carried herself that got her noticed. Taylor was flashier, where Haley had more modesty and subtly about her. If Taylor bought something new, she would show it off right away- and she always had to have the latest of everything. Haley was still learning how to work her new blackberry, which she had accidently dropped approximately 3.5 times. The half was due to her leaping through the air to catch it, not so gracefully, before she herself flew to the ground and twisted her ankle. While Haley did love her material things, they were not the things that made her happy, whereas Taylor would light up at the idea of buying something new.

"God, they're such animals! What's so special about me going out to lunch?" Taylor sighed.

"Maybe it's because you-" Haley started, but did not finish.

"It's not like I'm out with anyone that special or rumor-worthy! It's just you for crying out loud!" She half shrieked.

And there it was. It was always one thing to know you mean nothing when with your sister, but it was always something different when your sister tells you that you mean nothing. Ever since Taylor's career had taken off and her fame climbed, it was all about her. Haley's college applications, honor roll, etc., were old news that no one cared about.

Haley started to speak again, but only got as far as opening her mouth before her sister started up again. She was quite the gabber. And tended to interrupt. A lot.

"It's been like this all week! All I did was get a haircut! I mean come, on." Haley wondered if Taylor had added the pause between come and on, on purpose, or if the whole Valley Girl persona was finally reaching the hills of Hollywood, and inevitably her now snobby sister.

"Tay, maybe they're all over you because the show is doing really well? And I mean, since you're the star, who better to follow around?" Haley, once again, tried to reason.

She knew her sister was just putting on an act, and trying to be overly dramatic and make it seem as if she did not like the attention. Haley knew better. Taylor loved this- the attention, the glitz, the glam, the lights, cameras, everything. She loved it, and no matter how great of an actress she became, Haley could always see through it all.

She found it interesting, really. The media was so obsessed with specific people. They would spend their days just waiting for the opportunity to catch a high-profile celebrity in the act of doing something newsworthy.

Haley could just give them the home video of her mom dropping Taylor as a baby while she tried to pick up the ringing telephone on the other side of the kitchen. Or there was also the video of Taylor trying to walk in their old backyard. She took two steps, and then the dog came and pushed her over into a mud puddle, and proceeded to lick Taylor's entire face. Haley always laughed at that one. There had been so much mud.

No- that'd be too easy and cruel.

"Haley. Haley…Haley!" Taylor half shouted half whispered and snapped her manicured fingers in Haley's dazed face.

"What? Oh sorry…guess I just zoned out." Haley chuckled as she picked up the menu and then put it right back down. She already knew what she wanted anyways.

"Well anyways, as I was saying. I'm so glad you decided to come out and stay with me for your winter break! I missed you!" Taylor lightly touched her hand to Haley's.

The general public would look at Taylor's actions and characterize her easily as genuine and sincere. But Haley, once again, knew better and knew how to look past the façade and see what was really going on. Whenever Taylor would pat her hand, and say something as corny as 'I missed you,' in that really cheesy, over the top voice, Haley knew she wanted something.

She eyed her sister carefully, waiting for the request she was sure the elder sister had.

"Okay okay…" Taylor conceded- it was useless trying to pull one over on her sister.

"You know, you don't have to do that every time you-"

"Excuse me, Miss James, are you ladies ready to order?" The overly cheerful, over-weight, waitress leered over their table with an expectant look on her face. Haley just loved how Taylor was addressed personally as if the waitress knew her.

"Yes, I'll have the Caesar salad- but just a lunch portion- oh and a glass of ice water with two slices of lemon." Taylor rattled off her order, and did not look at the waitress even once.

_'Please,'_ Haley mentally added onto the end of Taylor's order. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Taylor. That was probably her sister's most annoying trait- her habit of interrupting people when they're either talking or about to talk. As if no one else had anything to say, you know?

"Make sure you bring me two lemon slices. Two. Not one, not three. I want two. Otherwise it's just a waste of lemon." Taylor glanced at the waitress and smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"Okay Taylor, she gets it." Haley nudged her sister's leg underneath the table, and then smiled at the waitress. "Aren't we just a hoot? I'll have a Caesar salad, please, to start…and then a plate of your baked rigatoni with extra cheese? And a water- no lemon! Thanks!" Haley handed the waitress the menu and then proceeded to give her sister a pointed look as the poor woman walked away. Well, more like waddled, Haley noticed.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do anything! You're the one who practically ordered the entire menu!" Taylor snorted very ungracefully.

"How rude could you possibly be? They're not your maids, jeez! You could have at least said please. And I ordered a salad and pasta- hardly the entire menu miss 1,000 calories a day freak." Haley's anger and frustration emanated from her pores and Taylor recoiled.

After a couple minutes passed, the two sisters began to relax again. From far away they looked completely in sync, yet totally opposite. Taylor had on a long maxi-dress and was tan with light hair. Haley on the other hand was dark haired and fair skinned, and wore casual clothes.

Taylor cleared her throat and decided to move on from their previous quarrel.

"So, I know you think I want something from you, but I actually don't. I just wanted to talk about what you can do while you're here." Taylor glanced at Haley's face to see if she was still mad and breathed a sigh of relief when Haley looked just fine.

"Taylor I'm not doing your laundry nor am I going to be your personal chef like I was last time!"

"No of course not, silly! I hired a maid for my laundry and a personal chef, so no worries on that front. It's just I'm very busy this week since it's a week before New Year's…and your birthday of course!" Haley smiled at the fact that her sister hadn't forgotten her 18th birthday. Or she had and had just now remembered. Either way it made Haley a little happier.

"So I want this weekend to be as fun as possible for you." Taylor continued.

Just then, their lunches arrived, and as Haley ate, Taylor talked. She listed all of the events Haley could come to with her, all of the clubs that would let her in regardless of her age. Also, Taylor did not fail to mention the courtside tickets she had obtained for all of the Lakers games, how there were three different movie premieres, two fashion shows, and four holiday benefit galas that the girls could make appearances at.

After listening to all that her sister did, just in one week no less, Haley actually had a feeling of admiration toward her sister.

Well, that was new.

"So," Taylor interrupted Haley's thoughts.

"Hmm?" Haley put her fork down lazily.

"What do you want to do first?" Taylor prodded.

Haley had no idea what she was talking about, but from the way Taylor was rapidly tapping her foot and bouncing her knee in that really bothersome way that made Haley want to smack her, she already had something on her agenda. It was always a hidden agenda with Taylor, no matter what.

"What do you want to do?" Haley relaxed in her chair more and took a sip of her water. Ice water, no lemon.

Taylor squeezed her fourth lemon slice into her own water with no ice. Two lemon slices hadn't been enough after all. She cleared her throat, and Haley was absolutely positive that Taylor was trying to appear nonchalant but was just bursting and ready to explode on the inside.

"Well…" She hesitated, "there's a Lakers game tonight? My assistant has season tickets on the court, so we could go to that?" Taylor tried to hold back a grin, and Haley knew she'd got her.

"You like basketball now? Since when?" Haley could feel the nervousness and anxiety just flowing off of her sister.

"Uh, I uh, okay fine. You like basketball, and I like the players, more specifically the Lakers new star forward Nathan Scott. He's so deliciously handsome. Have you seen him yet?" Haley noticed the way Taylor's eyes lit up as she said his name.

"No, no I haven't. We can go to that tonight, it'd be fun!" Haley replied enthusiastically. She should have known it was all about a boy. It's always about a boy.

Due to their age difference, the sisters had never had conflicting boy issues. Taylor liked guys her own age, as did Haley, and they never overlapped. By the time Haley got into high school, Taylor was in college or at least trying out college. She never actually graduated. Haley knew they had similar types, but Taylor was way more into the model-y plastic looking boys, who had a great sense of style and the perfect surfer body. Haley preferred her men to not know the difference between one designer from another and didn't particularly like the whole 'surfer dude' persona.

"Yes! Thank you so much Haley-bop! Let's get out of here- we only have two hours before game time!" Taylor threw a 100 dollar bill on the table, which would probably cover not only her lunch and her sister's lunch, but also half of the restaurant's lunches as well.

Haley got up and followed her sister back outside, into the madness.

* * *

**So this was just the first chapter, please review! Let me know what you all think! I love hearing what people have to say, good or bad!**

**-Madison**

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in regards to One Tree Hill. **

**Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

"ARE YOU READYYYY!!"

The gymnasium was thumping with pump up music and the lights were flashing. It was almost game time, and Haley and Taylor had just arrived at their center court floor seats. As they sat down, Haley noticed how the entire crowd was really a sea of yellow and purple.

Except for Taylor, she noticed as she looked to her left. Haley had come appropriately in a Kobe BNathant uniform over a white long sleeve shirt and her favorite pair of skinny jeans, due to the holes in them. They weren't "purchased" holes, but rather holes that she had made herself from wearing them so much. Her brown knee high flat boots just added to her "sporty yet girly" attire as she liked to put it.

Her sister, on the other hand, was struggling. She looked perfect, but dressed completely for the wrong occasion. Haley had tried to convince Taylor to wear some Lakers attire, but she would have none of it. Instead, she had on sky high black pumps, and a short plum colored dress that left very little to the imagination.

Someone was on the prowl tonight.

"Ugh, my dress keeps riding up! These seats are so uncomfortable!" Taylor sighed as she tried to adjust herself so that her underwear did not show up online tomorrow. Haley stifled a laugh.

"Tay, I told you to wear jeans! Or even leggings would have been better! It's not like you've never been to an athletic event like this before." Haley chuckled and turned away from her sister to look at the Lakers bench that was right next to her on the right. While some members of the team were stretching, others were shooting around.

However, there was one non-injured player sitting on the bench. Nathan Scott. He was facing the floor and had his iPod on. Haley glanced back at her sister to find her chatting away with the bodyguard she had insisted come with them. She then turned back once again to look at Nathan. He looked to be in a sort of trance, which Haley found ironic considering the fact that there were thousands of people screaming and chanting and yelling in the gym at that very moment. Not to mention the very loud rap music, the announcer, and the lights. And the fire and smoke show that was going on periodically.

As the buzzer rang, Nathan looked up and before Haley could turn away he turned her way.

_'Oh my god. I cannot believe that Nathan Scott just caught me staring at him! Is he smiling? Oh my god, he's smiling. Crap."_

Haley watched as Nathan smirked at her and then got up off the bench to start the game. She could not believe she had just done that. This was the guy that Taylor liked.

_"Not Haley. Taylor. Taylor. Not Haley. No Haley, Taylor._"

The game started, and every ten seconds Taylor tugged on Haley's arm to comment on how hot Nathan looked, or how she had made sure they got VIP passes to talk with the team afterwards, and how hot he looked, and on and on and on, blah blah blah blah blah. Haley just watched the game, and cheered for the Lakers as they beat the Dallas Mavericks.

* * *

When it was time to go towards the locker room area where they could wait for the players, Haley was insanely nervous. She had made a complete fool out of herself, or so she thought, in front of an NBA superstar. Haley jolted out of the trance she had been in to find Taylor gripping her hand nervously.

"Why are you so nervous? Isn't this like, your thing? Getting guys? And get your hand off of me it's clammy!" Haley scrunched up her nose and laughed at her sister who in that moment looked so innocent and offended.

"I'm nervous because I'm about to be officially introduced to my future boyfriend. Duh. And I don't want you to mess it up and say something stupid that could totally embarrass me. Got it?" Haley rolled her eyes and looked at the door that was opening.

Nathan walked out of the locker room and Taylor's mouth watered. He truly was a perfect specimen. She looked him up and down slowly, barely trying to act inconspicuous. At 6'4", he was exactly one foot taller than her. His short jet black hair contrasted her blonde locks perfectly, and Taylor could not help but mentally envision how photographs of the pair would look in magazine spreads. His bright ice blue eyes were mesmerizing, and Taylor felt lost in them. Moving down, she took in his pair of khaki pants that hugged his hips and legs to a T, and a nice light blue dress shirt that really brought out his eyes. His tie was wrapped loosely around his neck, showing his relaxed attitude.

Taylor was slightly disappointed. Other players came out of the locker room with expensive clothes and jewelry- they wore their wealth. Nathan had on no jewelry save an inexpensive looking Rolex, and no other sign of wealth. She looked over at Haley, and wondered what she was thinking. She had seen Haley get excited during the game- she was always a Lakers fan- yet she also knew that Haley was not excited to meet Nathan- or so she thought. She had seen Nathan smirk at her, and felt bad that Haley was sort of caught in the middle. Oh well.

Taylor shook her head slightly to regain composure and sauntered over to where Nathan stood chatting with another player- whom Taylor knew. Perfect.

"Lucas! Hey!" Taylor gave the tall blonde man a hug and then sensing his discomfort, let go. She had met Lucas, another player for the Lakers, during a celebrity mixer event that incorporated all of the various fields of "Hollywood Entertainment" including music, movies, television, and sports. They had really hit it off, and decided to go on a date; however it did not end up working out. 'Hopefully', Taylor thought, 'he hasn't told Nathan that we went on a date.'

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while Taylor James. How is everything?" Lucas asked after a moment of awkward silence, and then watched as Taylor plastered on the fakest smile he had ever seen.

"Oh, you know. Same old thing! Who's your friend?" She pretended to not have noticed Nathan standing there- it was all part of her master plan.

Lucas smiled and clapped Nathan on the back.

"This, is my brother Nathan Scott, - I'm sure you saw his awesome dunk during the 3rd period, no? Totally a game highlight. " Nathan smiled and laughed at his brother's antics, yet still said nothing.

_'His brother!? What the hell? Lucas never mentioned having a brother? Oh my god there is no way that Nathan doesn't know who I am now!' _Taylor sighed, but tried to quickly recover from the shocking news.

"Oh...I must have missed it! Shoot! I think I was in the bathroom." She touched his arm slightly and tried to play off her obvious embarrassment as best she could.

_'What is wrong with this man!? Why won't he talk!?'_ Taylor grew inwardly more and more agitated as Nathan continued to stand there and act like he didn't really notice her.

"Hey by the way, who's your friend? She looks like she's ready to fall asleep!" Lucas nodded over to where Haley was resting in a comfy chair.

_'Ugh. I forgot she was here.'_ Taylor droned.

"That's my baby sister Haley. Haley!" She half shrieked, "Haley! Come over here!"

The trio watched as Haley stretched her arms before walking over to meet them. She had stayed behind originally to allow Taylor a chance to meet her new 'boyfriend' yet by the look on Taylor's fake face, it wasn't going so well. While she had been seated in the comfy arm chair, she flipped through a nearby gossip magazine that had Nathan Scott's face plastered to the cover.

**'Hollywood's newest and biggest player: Nathan Scott'**

The ensuing article discussed mainly all about how Nathan had been seen out in public with at least five different girls in the past two weeks. _'Oh great.'_ He was probably some egotistical narcissistic jerk who went through women like they were nothing but an object. Haley hated guys like that; they had no respect, and were about as mature as one of those nasty drooling camels that one sees at the zoo.

_'He's definitely Taylor's type.'_ She assumed.

Haley decided that she better just make the best of the situation and put on a happy face like always. Taylor quickly pulled Haley to her side and introduced her to the guys.

"Lucas, Nathan, this is my sister Haley. Haley, this is Lucas and Nathan Scott." Taylor stood proud and watched Haley's mind work.

After clearing her throat due to her long period of not talking and almost sleeping, Haley ran through her mind as to what she could possibly say to these two stars. The one, Lucas, seemed nice, and he was a really good ball player. Nathan on the other hand had just kind of stood there and stared.

"Oh! You had such a great first half Lucas! I was sad Coach sat you last half, you were all over those rebounds!" Haley gushed. She loved basketball, and Taylor despised her sister in that moment. Instead of trying to make her look good, Haley was going on and on about nonsense and bound things.

"Thanks Haley! You know your stuff don't you? Did you see Nathan's dunk? Seems Taylor was using the…facilities…" He laughed and Taylor turned bright red.

"Actually," Haley laughed for she was beginning to feel much more relaxed, "I almost missed it! I was on my way to the bathroom, but when the buzzer rang for everyone to go back, I forgot all about the bathroom, and ran back to my seat. Taylor apparently just had to go and fix her makeup or whatever."

_'How dare she! What an imbecile! She's doing this wrong I hate her!'_ Taylor mentally berated her sister.

"So I did see the dunk. And I actually caught it on tape! I took a picture video thingy of it with my phone. I think. I'm still not too sure how to work it all," Haley laughed nervously as the two men chuckled, "I just knew it was going in! I was very excited!" She continued to ramble on until a deep voice interrupted her.

"How old are you?" Taylor turned and watched Nathan speak for the first time that night, and was not happy that her sister was the cause.

Taken aback, Haley looked down for a second before replying. The voice had come out so soft, and husky, and Haley was not really sure what was going on, because the question was just so random. Nathan had a blank stare, and she couldn't really tell what he was thinking. He didn't look upset or anything, as if her young age bothered him, rather he looked sincerely intrigued.

"I'm um, 17, but I turn 18 in one week!" Haley got increasingly excited throughout the sentence and everyone knew by the way the last part was inflected and came out as more of a 'squeak!' rather than a 'week!'

That was it. He nodded and smirked at her, the second time that night, and then quickly excused himself from the bunch and went back inside the locker room. Players only. Haley didn't understand. Did he hate her? Had she not been able to conceal her personal distaste for him? She thought she had done well, you know, saying how great of a job he did that evening. One would think he could take a compliment. Apparently not.

"Did I…did I say something wrong? I mean, he asked, I answered, and now I'm confused?" Haley rambled on yet again and Taylor felt like she was about to smack her sister.

"No… no you didn't do anything wrong," Lucas assured her, "he's just kind of weird after games. He's probably more than ready to go get drunk at the players' lounge. He was kind of salty after the game in the locker room earlier, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Why was he salty?" Taylor inquired.

"Well, see he hurt his foot tonight after coming down off that dunk a little weird, so Coach told him he has to sit out practice for the week and do some physical therapy. Nathan hates sitting out during practice." Lucas explained, and then he too excused himself, but not before inviting Taylor and Haley out with the team after they were all ready to leave.

Haley panicked. She couldn't go out to a club! She wasn't dressed right, nor did she have a fake id to get her in because she wasn't 18.

"Umm, Taylor," Haley tugged on her sister's arm. For once she was shorter than Taylor, and felt smaller too. "What am I going to do? I don't have an ID, and I would need a change of clothes and they're all back at your house!"

"Relax Haley. We have plenty of time to go back and change, and when the bouncers see who you're with, they probably won't even ask for your ID. Trust me. It's all good." Taylor smiled at her sister and then turned and walked away towards her bodyguard.

Haley was confused. She knew Taylor better than anybody, and was absolutely positive that her sister was close to livid with her. She had totally and completely, albeit accidently, stolen Taylor's spotlight when it came to Nathan Scott, and wondered why Taylor was being so...nice to her._ 'Oh well'_ she thought. She'd just have to wait and see what happens. Game on.

* * *

**AN: There's chapter 2! I hope everyone liked it, please R&R! Also if you have any questions or comments, let me know!**

**Madison**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Everyone! Thank you SO much for your reviews! They really motivate me to keep going! I know the chapters are sort of short, but they should hopefully be getting longer as the story goes on! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! I know mysterious Nathan is confusing a lot of people, so hopefully you'll learn more about him in the chapter! Once again, please review!!! Enjoy.**

**~ Madison**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill.

* * *

**

Their limo pulled up outside of a hot bar just near the Staples arena. Taylor stepped out first, revealing her short black dress and leopard print heels and, in Haley's opinion, way too poufed hair, and reveled in all of the attention.

"Taylor! Taylor! Over here! Taylor!" All of the paparazzi screamed, and Haley had half a mind to just sit in the car all night and wait it out. Walking down the street was very different from making a public appearance. Yes, there had been a public appearance at the Lakers game, but the security there is so thick that Haley hardly noticed anything. That and no one knew Taylor James was attending the game until they actually saw her there in her seat. Here, however, it seemed to Haley that her sister's oddball personal assistant, Marjorie, had let it slip. Although she had yet to meet Marjorie, Taylor was always talking about what a bad assistant she was, yet she had to keep her otherwise she'd be deported. Something along those lines.

Taylor gracefully made her way to the door, and then turned to wait for Haley. Haley was only along for the ride to distract the other players from her and Nathan's "personal time" as far as she was concerned. She watched as Haley got out of the limo, and followed the bodyguard. Her little sister looked good. Instead of her normal J. Crew-like attire, Haley was dressed in black leggings underneath a black long sleeved shirt dress. She had on a pair of black 4" booties, and wore a few gold and silver chains loosely around her neck. Haley looked good, Taylor decided. Especially with the way her hair fell down her back in waves. She would definitely pass for at least 18.

They made their way into the bar, not even bothering to stop and give the bouncers a chance to ask the girls for their IDs, and were quickly escorted to the VIP section to find the guys. There were three of them- Nathan, Lucas, and another player, Skills. They had a half open booth and stood up as the girls approached.

Taylor took in Nathan and his stature, and noted how good he looked in his dark blue jeans, and his black button down shirt with a little bit of white underneath. Everything fit him so perfectly, he was like a God. Lucas and Skills were dressed similarly, with cream and red shirts instead of black, respectively.

"Girls, welcome! You look stunning as always Taylor," Skills smiled and gave her a hug, and then turned to Haley. "And you, you must be little sister Haley. You look very nice as well." Haley blushed.

"Thank you." She said kind of quietly, and proceeded to take a seat in between the two guys, and watched as Taylor sat a little too close to Nathan.

"So," Taylor started, "do you come here often Nathan?"

"Uhh, yeah I guess so. Usually after most home games anyway." Nathan looked slightly uncomfortable and Haley had to stifle her laugh. She thought Taylor was always a hit with the men, but apparently she never had to work for their attention before, because she might as well have sat on top of the poor guy and he still probably wouldn't really notice her.

"That's nice…." Taylor continued to bore him with talk of fashion and her job, and about how much fame she's gotten for her role on TV. Haley discussed her love for dance with Lucas and Skills, and as she casually looked over to see how her sister was doing, she locked eyes with Nathan. He held her gaze and tuned out what Taylor was saying about how the paparazzi follow her every move. Haley became unnerved and immediately turned back to the other guys and listened to them.

"Why don't you show us some of your moves on the dance floor?" They all turned to Nathan and Haley turned a maddening shade of red. Taylor tried to protest, saying how Haley is a shy dancer when it comes to new people, but Haley ignored her.

"Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt." She got up and followed Nathan out to the dance floor.

"That's really strange." Lucas looks over to the dancing pair and then back to Skills.

"What do you mean?" Taylor questioned. She had felt annoyed with Nathan the entire evening. Getting a guy to like her had never been so hard, and she was beginning to lose hope. Maybe he was secretly gay or something?

_'Who knows?'_ Taylor rolled her eyes to herself and turned to Lucas.

"Well, Nathan hates to dance. I mean really hates it. We had a dance-off at a charity event a couple months ago, and he actually faked sick to get out of it. So I'm a little confused as to why he's out there dancing with your sister." Lucas laughed nervously and sensing Taylor's obvious agitation, started talking to Skills about their upcoming game tomorrow night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nathan and Haley swayed to the music, it was some fast hip-hop song, and Haley felt herself relaxing more and more after each second.

"You know, you're actually really good. I'm a horrible dancer." Nathan chuckled in her ear and Haley felt tingles go through her ear and down her back.

"Why thanks, I mean it's what I like to do for fun, so you know, I should be good!" Haley laughed and then abruptly stopped after realizing how flirtatious that had sounded.

Nathan pulled her a little bit closer and then turned her around so she was facing him. Haley had hardly heard the man say two full sentences, yet after being alone with him for all of two minutes he was laughing and talking freely with her. She had never felt so relaxed, and she knew it wasn't solely because she loved to dance. Ever since she was a little girl her mother had insisted that she learn how to dance, and that had been Haley's "sport" for all her life. Her family always said that if she ever decided to do something more "fun" with her life, she should be a backup dancer. Haley had laughed at that.

"So how long are you here in LA for?" Nathan asked as the song changed and it slowed down a little bit.

"Um, I'm here until January 7th."

"Well that's two full weeks! What are you going to do to bide your time?" Haley was impressed by his enthusiasm and inquisitive personality. Why wasn't he like this around her sister, whom he was supposed to like?

"Well mostly just hang out I guess. Taylor and I will probably do a lot of shopping knowing her, and I get to go to a few premieres and clubs and parties and things, and then New Years of course- my favorite day of the year!" She gushed, and when she looked up she noticed that Nathan was staring at her intently.

"What?" She questioned when he still said nothing.

"Oh, sorry I just zoned out I guess. You have really pretty eyes, you know that?" Nathan smiled at her and twirled her around.

Once back in his arms, she thanked him and turned a bright shade of pink, and reveled in the comfortable silence that lingered between them. Nathan racked his brain for something more to say, something else he could ask her so he could just hear her voice again. He had remained quiet for most of the night, trying to silently wrap his head around the not so innocent thoughts he was having towards this girl so much younger than he. He was a 23 year old man, living on his own, providing for himself, yet he had found himself insanely attracted to this 17 year old girl, who depended on her family for almost everything, and still had so much to learn about life. However, he knew that he had to figure out why he was so astounded by this girl.

"Are you and Taylor close?" He inquired and watched the way her brow furrowed and she looked over his shoulder into nothingness.

"Kind of," she sighed, "We were closer when she lived at home and during her first few months out here. But, Hollywood changed her. I mean, I guess it changes everyone a little bit, you know?" Haley looked up into his eyes and watched as he nodded his head the tiniest bit, and leaned in.

_'Oh no, what is he doing?! Is he going to kiss me? He can't do that! Taylor is probably watching! He's so handsome though… no. Haley, stop it! Stop it!'_

Luckily for Haley, the music stopped and the DJ started talking. Nathan turned to her cheek instead, and pressed his soft lips to it lightly, and for a fleeting moment, Haley felt warm sparks flow through her cheek into the rest of her body. She felt something slide into her left hand, and when she looked up he was gone. Haley looked down into her hand, and saw a cocktail napkin folded three times. Quickly moving off the dance floor, but still away from her table, she unfolded the napkin.

_Haley, Meet me outside in the back hall exit in 10 minutes. I need to see you. – Nathan_

_'What the hell?'_

Haley stared aimlessly into the sea of dancing bodies, and tried to come with logical reasons as to why Nathan would need to see her, alone. Deciding that he probably doesn't want to ask how he should ask Taylor out, considering he asked HER to dance, not Taylor, Haley made an executive decision to go out there and see what he wanted. She motioned to Taylor that she had to go to the bathroom, and held up five fingers letting her know she should be back in around five minutes.

She weaved her way through the mass of people, and walked through the back hall to the exit. Nathan was already standing there, with his cell phone held close to his ear. Upon seeing her, he promptly closed it and held it up to show her he hadn't been talking to anyone.

"It was my cover." He laughed semi loudly, and watched the sides of her mouth twitch before she too laughed.

"Oh, right I see. So…" Haley drifted off as she watched him walk out the door to the outside.

_'Am I supposed to follow him…? Where is he going?'_ Haley stood there kind of perplexed, and then snapped up when he opened the door again.

"Aren't you coming?" He questioned. And with a nod of her head, she followed him outside with little hesitation.

The air was smooth and warm with little to no breeze coming through the trees in the small patch of grass behind the club. Nathan turned to his right and sat on the bench resting against the brick wall. Haley followed suit. She didn't know whether or not she should sit close to him, or far from him, so she opted for in between.

"So…it's a nice night outside, don't you think?" Nathan looked up to the stars and then back down to Haley's face. She looked totally, utterly, and completely confused.

"Wait, what? Nathan, what are we doing why did you bring me outside?" Haley stood up.

"You're supposed to be talking to Taylor, dancing with Taylor, and inviting Taylor outside. Not me, Taylor, you know, my sister? Can't you tell she likes you? She's been going goo-goo over you all freakin day! That's all I hear about! 'Nathan is so hot, Nathan is so dreamy. I can't wait 'till Nathan and I are dating. Nathan and I will look so good in pictures and out in public.' Gahhh!" Haley let out a yell as she blew out her breath. Nathan watched her pace for a minute, and then he too stood up and walked in front of her. She looked at him quizzically, and watched as he rubbed his hand over his face as if frustrated, and then sighed.

"Can't you tell that I DON'T like her?" Nathan blew out with such a force that Haley unconsciously took a step backwards.

"You-you don't?" She stammered and tried to figure out what was going on here.

"No, how could you think that I like her? Before the basketball game earlier, I saw you looking at me. And god, the way you looked at me. You weren't judging me, or trying to get a piece of me. You weren't like the other girls. Taylor looks at me like I'm a piece of meat that she's going to eat, or a play toy. But you, Haley, you looked at me as if I was a real person, and you studied my face and genuinely seemed to want to know what I was thinking. And then after the game, Taylor was so annoying. And I know you thought so too. You had this look on your face that said you were totally embarrassed for her. Haley, your sister is used to guys just fawning over her. She's never had to work to get a guy's attention. But my eyes were on you the whole time. You're just mesmerizing. There's just something about you that draws me in." Nathan paused and swallowed. By now, he had taken steps towards Haley, so that she was almost up against the wall of the club. She was breathing heavily, waiting for what he had to say next.

Nathan cleared his throat and began again, softer, huskier this time.

"And then tonight, when I saw you walk into the bar, I just, I just lost it. Your sister was going on and on and on about stupid meaningless stuff, and trying so hard. But you, you were just enjoying yourself and talking about what you love to do in life and how happy dancing makes you. And I honestly don't remember one word Taylor said. It was all you. All I can remember is you and your face. And I hate dancing, but after hearing you talk about how dancing made you feel so alive, I just, god I don't even know it just came out before I could stop it. And now here we are."

"….Here we are…" Haley breathed out. Her mind was moving a mile a minute. Not only did Nathan not like Taylor, but he liked HER! Haley! She had no idea what to do, or what to think of this. All she could think about was how his face kept creeping closer and closer, and how cold the brick wall behind her felt. She felt a warm waft of air on her sides as Nathan's hands hit the brick, trapping her against the wall.

Nathan leaned in further, and just as Haley felt his warm breath hit her face, she froze.

"No!" Haley jumped up and pushed him away.

"You can't do this! Taylor is my sister! My flesh and blood! Regardless of how well we get along, or how much you don't like her, she's still my sister. And that means something to me! I can't betray her like this! I just, I just can't…" Haley sighed and sat down on the bench again and looked to see Nathan's hurt expression.

He moves to sit next to her, and takes her reluctant hand in his and just stares out into the night sky.

"Wha-what are you doing? I said no, Nathan! This can't happen!" Haley quickly stands up and before Nathan can even open his mouth, she's gone back inside.

Nathan took a deep breath before he too trudged back inside to the VIP area and to his friends.

Upon arriving back at his table, he noticed that the girls were no where to be seen.

Haley was gone. Damn.

Taylor was gone. Thank god.

Luckily, however, Lucas and Skills were still around, still drinking, and still having a good time.

"Damn boy that must have been one long phone call!" Skills sarcastically smiled.

"Yeah dude, what the hell did you do to Haley? She came back in here and made up some kind of stomach ache or something and made Taylor leave." Lucas went along with his friend and held Nathan in a questioning stare.

"Dude, I don't know. I was on the phone." Nathan had to be careful. He could not let his friends figure out that he liked Haley. She was after all only 17 years old. _'Was that even legal?' _he pondered.

"Yeah sure. Dude, you stared at Haley the entire evening. What the hell's going on? You into her or something?" Skills laughed.

_'Great.' _Nathan thought. They were so onto him.

"What! Are you kidding me man? She's like a kid!"

"Well, WE know that… but it doesn't look like you're totally convinced."

_'I'm not.'_

"Whatever. She's hot; I'll give her that…" _'And beautiful, and smart, and funny, and sophisticated, and unique, and adorable, and amazing'_... "But that's as far as it goes." He sat there a minute and continued to drink his beer; hopefully they got the picture and would then stop talking about her.

"Well good. Because after you both left all Taylor could talk about was how much she liked you and wanted you. And I'll be honest, she's smokin', but you're not really into her, obviously, so you gotta be careful with your obvious staring contest with her baby sister Haley. You were practically undressing her with your eyes." Lucas warned Nathan in a friendly manner, showing him that he could care less which girl Nathan was into, just that they were sisters so he needed to watch his step.

Nathan decided he had two options. The first was that he could confide in his brother and his best friend and tell them what was going on, or he could play dumb and change the subject. Speak now or forever hold your peace. If he did decide to tell Lucas and Skills, he had to be careful what he said. Maybe he could sort of talk to them about the Taylor/Haley situation, but not totally bust out the "I like Haley and want her". Yeah, that could work.

"So then how do I get rid of Taylor? She's so fucking annoying I wanted to literally put a muzzle on her when she was talking to me." He sat there and watched as his friends started laughing at him hysterically.

"Dude I knew he'd hate her!" Skills whooped and hollered and had to hold his side to keep from coughing from laughing so hard. Meanwhile Lucas had inherently choked on his beer and spit some of it out and then joined Skills in laughing.

"Nathan she's like a 50-year old cougar who thinks she's still got it. I mean, she's hot and all, but that girl has been with more men in the past six months than I've changed my underwear. This is a lot by the way. Not saying I'm like, unclean. I'm definitely clean."

"Lucas shut up. We get the idea dude calm down." Skills snickered and then turned back to Nathan who was looking into his beer as if something interesting was going on in there.

"So…there are three things I know Nathan. The first is that you don't like Taylor. The second is that you like Haley, and the third is that I need another drink."

"Wow, Skills, that was…very…helpful?" Nathan laughed.

"Yeah, I'm heading out" Lucas stood up from the couch and left a few bills on the table.

"Hey wait! Could I …you know…have Haley's number maybe? Wait, do you even have it?" Nathan stumbled unattractively over his words.

"Yes, I have it," Lucas chuckled, and then took his phone out and started typing it into Nathan's cell.

"She gave it to me because I told her I would let her know about some Lakers charity events and stuff like that happening in the next couple weeks. Here you go," he handed it back to him, "use, and don't abuse my boy. See you tomorrow. Later Skills." Lucas waved and laughed as Skills gave a half, disinterested wave back. He was very much into the attention a random girl was giving him at the moment.

"Hey Skills, I think I'm heading out too. I'll…yeah I'll see you later. Okay bye." He watched the girl practically lay down on top of his friend, and turned and left ASAP. That was not a sight he really wanted to see at the moment. Oh Skills.

* * *

**There it is! Chapter 3! I think a lot happens in this chapter, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Please Review! Thanks!!**

**~Madison**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OTH.**

* * *

In a quiet neighborhood in Beverly Hills, California, a sleek black limousine pulled up to the high cast-iron gates of a posh mansion inhabited by "one of the stars". It was late. There weren't that many photographers hanging around anymore. The car pulled through the gate, and next door neighbors could surely hear the clang when it closed behind the vehicle. At first sight, the mansion seemed like it would be fit for a King or another kind of royalty of sorts. In fact, most up and coming stars either lived at home, with their families, or in much smaller villas.

But Taylor James was the exception, as always. With her new TV character came many other money making opportunities. She was now getting paid to show up at events, commercial offers, ad campaigns, spokeswoman offers, etc. Almost everything she did made money.

The driveway was circular, and in it rested four cars. Taylor's main car, for when she went out day to day, was a big black Mercedes SUV. Her other car, aka her "appearance car" was a little silver Porsche convertible. She had recently purchased another car for her sister since she was going to be busy during the next couple of weeks. Haley's car was a black Range Rover, and the fourth car was for when her parents came. It was a nice Lexus sedan that her parents would definitely appreciate.

Due to the wonderful Californian climate, there were flowers and trees and shrubs everywhere, and the creamy stone mansion had green vines crawling up the sides. In the middle of the circular driveway was a small fountain that Taylor had made sure her house had. The limo pulled up to the front entry-way, and Taylor stepped out and marched straight into the house, leaving Haley behind.

Haley knew her sister was mad at her for leaving quickly and "feigning" an "illness", but she couldn't help it. She was so confused; she didn't know what to do. Here she was, stuck in the middle of a huge mess concerning her older sister and the man she liked, as well as her own emotions as well. Obviously she liked Nathan, what girl wouldn't? He had proven himself to be very dedicated, motivated, intelligent, handsome, etc. What more could a girl want?

She tumbled into the house after her sister, and stalked straight through the grand front hall towards Taylor's wing of the house. That's right, wing. Since Taylor had various employees living with her, like her chef, housekeeper, as well as her trainer, she had broken the mansion up into various 'wings'. She had her own wing; there was an "employee wing" _'aka the basement'_ Haley thought wearily. And then there was another wing for guests. Haley had her own room and bathroom in the guests' wing, as did her parents. And then there were four other vacant bedrooms in that hallway as well.

Taylor slammed the outside door to her wing, that Haley had actually never been in, but she did know there was a master bedroom, bathroom, living room, sauna, and study located on the other side of the double French doors.

"Taylor, come on you can't seriously be mad at me! I don't feel well! That's not fair! Taylor. Come out of there!" Haley knocked on the door, and with each knock she lost her resolve to work things out with her sister, for her own frustration just kept mounting.

Just then her phone beeped signaling a text message. She dug through her purse and finally found the offending gadget. She had two new text messages. The first was from her mother, who was clearly still figuring out the whole "texting" thing.

_'Hihoneyhopeuhavingfuncallmel8rlovemom' _Haley deleted it, and wondered how long it would take her poor mother to realize that there was a button on the blackberry where you could put a space in between your words. The second, _'unbelievable' _thought Haley, was from her sister.

_'I'm not in the mood to talk to you. I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow night- I'm working all day 7-10. T.'_

Well. No use knocking anymore. Haley backtracked and went into the kitchen for her late night snack. It was quiet in the house despite the fact that there were four other people sleeping there aside from her. She put her purse down on a barstool and her phone on the marble countertop. Everything about this house was extravagant and glitzy and just, not her. The refrigerator was made of wood that had swirls and flowers engraved into the doors. Was that really needed?

She dug through her sister's endless supply of Vitamin Water, only to realize that this was all the refrigerator had to offer. Shutting the door, she didn't understand how her sister could just not have any food, yet have a chef? She looked around the dark chocolate kitchen at the various doors and cupboards. And then it hit her. She turned to the next door that looked like a long closet door, and opened it. The walls were lined with food, and the room was a chilly 42 degrees. Her sister would have a room solely for food, now that she really thought about it. Haley took out an apple, and then stepped out of the cold chamber. Her phone started to beep again. _'Taylor better not be asking for me to bring her food. She has a mini fridge, and she shut me out.' _Haley thought bitterly.

Haley bit into her apple and skipped over to her phone to read the new message.

_'Haley…you might not be ready to start something, but can we at least talk? – N.'_

Shit. Haley dropped the apple onto the floor. Why did this have to happen to her? Haley could not believe this guy. She had clearly rejected him! Maybe she just wasn't as good of a liar as she thought she was.

Haley decided she had two options. One, she could delete the message and pretend it never happened. And then, she would just have to avoid all events where a Lakers player might be, including the games. She'd then have to track down Nathan's personal assistant in an effort to find out where he was at all times so she could conveniently NOT be there. She'd probably need to change her number and leave LA immediately now that she really thought about it.

Or, she could just talk to him. Haley pondered this idea more. It was in actuality what she really wanted. He said talk. They could talk, right? Even if he ended up with her sister, as much as she didn't want them to, even though she kind of did, she'd still be able to have a conversation with him, right? _'Ugh. This is so frustrating!'_

After about five minutes of weighing the pros and cons of responding to his text message, Haley made her decision. She was going to respond. She liked Nathan, and he liked her. He didn't like her sister, not that she could really blame him. Haley had lived in the shadows of her sister for too long. Whether it was when they were little girls, teenagers, or young adults, Taylor, being the oldest and needier one of the two, had held the spotlight. Well now, it was Haley's turn. For once in her life someone was more interested in her than they were her sister. And they weren't using her to get to her sister. In fact, Nathan was trying to get away from Taylor!

As much as she loved her sister, Haley knew that Taylor had lots of issues. Not necessarily like, mental issues, she mentally clarified. But more like issues with self-esteem and learning how to play hard to get, and learning when enough is enough and when to move on. Haley was taking a stand. She was going to do what she wanted for once, and what she wanted, was to talk to one of the first guys to ever really notice her for her, not for her name in relation to THE Taylor James.

She chucked her apple into the wastebasket, it had been on the floor for more than five seconds, surely, and picked up her phone.

_'Haley…you might not be ready to start something, but can we at least talk? – N.'_

Now she just had to figure out what to say.

_'Yeah- we can talk. Taylor does NOT find out….' _There. That was good, right? She had to throw in the clause about her sister. She could NOT find out. If she was going to do this, she was going to have to do this covertly. She couldn't just prance their 'relationship' around in front of her sister, she had to wait awhile, see where things went. For all she knew things might go no further than being friends? _'That's a__ lie and you know it'_ Haley debated with herself mentally.

_Buzzz._

Here we go. The moment of truth. What was he going to say to her? Would he be okay with keeping this away from Taylor and others even? Haley noticed her hand was slightly shaking, and she picked up the phone and without reading the text she left the kitchen and headed towards her bedroom.

_'__Okay that's fine- it'll be our secret...'_

_'Is he flirting with me?'_ Haley thought to herself as she closed the door to her room. She sauntered over to her bed tiredly, and quickly typed out a response. She had no idea what to say. He was the one who had texted her! Let him think of something, she thought.

_'Okay.'_ Haley knew that her response sort of ended the conversation, but she was tired, and she figured that if he really wanted to talk to her- he would.

She looked around her room and noticed that the housekeeper had taken all of her clothes out of her suitcases and placed them all into the antique armoire. Her light blue room looked light and bright, even though it was well past midnight, and therefore very dark outside. She had thick velvet curtains that were a creamy off white color, and contrasted perfectly with the dark wood floors. Haley moved about the room quietly and placed her purse on the desk her sister had graciously bought for her, and sat down on the couch and took her shoes off.

She had never really loved the high heels themselves. Really, she just liked the way they made her feel- tall, proud, confident, pretty. She figured she could deal with the pain she felt by the end of the night, if it meant that she could feel that confident for a few hours. Sitting on the comfy cream leather couch, Haley put her cell phone on the glass coffee table in front of her, and began to gently rub her sore feet.

_Buzzz_.

_'So what are you doing tomorrow?'_

_'Jeez, this guy really doesn't beat around the bush!'_ Haley was impressed. He didn't waste any time, and that meant she knew he meant business.

_'Not sure- Taylor's filming all day tomorrow, so I don't have plans…why?'_

Haley picked her shoes up and got up to move over to the shoe rack next to the armoire. There were probably around ten pairs of shoes on the racks- all Haley's. She hadn't originally planned on bringing ten pairs of shoes, but her sister had removed all doubts after she had told her all of the things they were going to do. Haley threw her phone onto her bed, and pulled out her favorite nightgown. It was the one her grandmother had given to her when she turned 16, and it still fit. She wasn't really sure what it was about the nightie that made it special, Haley guessed it was simply because her Nana had given it to her, and then passed away one month later. It was a soft blue color, and had lace around the edges. It really was beautiful, and Haley had to bring it with her to LA, she just had to. She slipped into the bathroom, and closed the door to get ready for bed.

About fifteen minutes later, Haley reappeared into her bedroom, and crawled into bed. She felt fresh and clean now that she had washed her face and brushed her teeth. And her hair felt silky smooth, no longer caught up with the hustle and bustle with the night's events.

_Buzzz._

Haley felt around her bed for her phone, and proceeded to plug it into the charger that she kept next to her bedside. Her phone always slept underneath her other pillow. There were little things that Haley did, such as carry that nightie with her, and sleep with her phone, that she had no reason for. She did them just because.

_'Would you come with me somewhere?'_

_'Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.'_ Haley shot up in bed. She knew what she was doing. She wanted this. She wanted to see Nathan again. She almost felt like she had to. And now, now was when she had to really make a choice. Either she betrayed her sister and followed her heart. Or she betrayed her heart and followed her head. Haley had always been a head person. Maybe now it was time for something new.

_'Where to?'

* * *

_

**There it is! Please R&R!!!**

_

* * *

_


End file.
